Whenever I speak with clients who want to start a food blog, I email them a list to poke through for inspiration. My current favorite is “50 of the World’s Best Food Blogs” from the Times UK online. It’s a terrific jumping off place for  research on which food blogs succeed and why. I’ve been over it five or six times, not to mention clicking on other blog links listed on the bloggers’ home pages. Lists like this save me a lot of research time, trying to figure out which blogs work and why, but then I get lost in the blogs for hours. It’s a nice problem to have.

Here are a few more lists to review, all based on awards:

2. At the Weblog (Bloggies) awards, winner of Best Food Blog for 2009 is Cake Wrecks. It’s not the usual food blog, but photos of cakes that have gone “horribly, hilariously wrong.” I laughed so hard my husband rushed into my office to see what was so funny. It’s not just the photos. Her captions are wicked. Runners up for the 2009 Bloggie award are:

• The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Last year’s winner, about an LA woman who married a cattle rancher.
• Bakerella. A cake decorator and baker who loves her baking accessories.
• Chocolate & Zucchini. If you haven’t read it by now, you’re living in a cave. Great content since 2003.
• Smitten Kitchen. A regular of the Bloggie awards, who also won runner up for Best Design and Best Photos.

3. The website Apartment Therapy gives awards for food blogs. The site lists the 2008 award winner only: Vegan Explosion, written by a 22-year old from Austin. Runner up: Smitten Kitchen again.

4. I’d love to mention the Well-Fed Network’s 2009 Food Blog award winners, but the website is down. Here’s the list of nominees, courtesy of Serious Eats.

5. Finally, here’s a list from the Blogger’s Choice (09) Awards. Cast your vote for your favorite  finalist, and check out even more food blogs readers adore.

Update 8/14/09: Saveur magazine just launched the world’s longest list of “Sites We Love” based on how many times links to them appear on the site. 11/13/09 Foodbuzz Food Blog awards.